Sign process platform



April 6, 1937 J. 51. HALSTED g,076,0'23

' SIGN PROCESS PLATFORM 1 Filed Jan. 28, 1935 Q v INVENTOR.

; j JNHALSTED.

. BYW,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIGN PROCESS PLATFORM Jesse N. Halsted, Omaha, Nebr.

Application January 28, 1935, Serial No. 3,871

4 Claims.

This invention has to do with the art of sign process platforms for holding cards for stenciling in the making of signs, posters, and the like, and of platforms of said character generally.

In the process of making signs and posters and the like cards are placed on a flat surface and covered with a transparent screen or stencil. Color is then applied to the cards through the stencil. For signs and the like having several 10 colors several stencils are used and it is essential that the cards and stencils be in register in order to avoid overlapping of the different colors. In the process, as at present practiced, a card or the like is placed on a flat surface such as a table top and the stencil or screen adjusted over it. Due to the difficulty in adjusting and holding the card and stencil in register the process is relatively slow and signs are easily spoiled particularly when the card is bowed as often occurs from changes in atmospheric conditions. 0 It is therefore the object of my invention to provide a sign process platform for use in painting signs in the stencil type of process sign painting whereby cards may be quickly and easily secured to the platform to register with a stencil or screen and from which said cards may be as quickly and easily released and removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a platform of the character mentioned that will securely hold a card thereon and prevent same from sticking onto a stencil when said stencil is raised.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention with a card clamped to the top thereof.

Figure 2 is an end view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the device taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged partial section taken on line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial section taken'on line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing reference numeral 10 indicates the platform top, of wood or other suitable material, which is supported from below by sides I I and I2, and by front and rear ends I3 and I4 respectively, said sidesand ends being secured to the top adjacent the edges thereof. A plurality of longitudinally alined openings are provided in the top adjacent side 12 which are covered by longitudinally slotted metal plates l5 sunk into the top to bring the top of the plates flush with the upper surface of the top, said plates providing stationary clamp jaws. Clamp members It, slidable vertically, are provided in the slots of the metal plates and said clamp members have inturned flanges l1 thereon 5 adapted for clamping engagement with the top surface of the metal plates thus providing a plurality of clamps at the right hand side of the top and adjacent the right hand side edge thereof. The lower end of each clamp member I6 extends 0 below the lower surface of the top It! and is provided with an outwardly extending spring portion 18 substantially parallel with said lower surface of the top and spaced therefrom and which has its outer end portion 19 downcurved and secured 5 to side 12 by a screw 20 adjacent the lower end of said downcurved portion. The outwardly and downcurved portions are elastic and are adapted to yieldably hold the clamp member in a position wherein the flange I1 is normally spaced above the 0 upper surface of the top l0. Auxiliary springs I90. are secured to the under side of the top and have their free ends adapted to aid in yieldably holding the clamp members It in their normal raised position. A longitudinally extending bar 2| is provided on the under side of the top H) adjacent the outer side of the clamp members It and above the outwardly extending portions l8 thereof. The bar is secured to the top by brackets 22 screwed to the top and said bar is adapted to slide longitudinally in said brackets. The bar is adapted to be normally in a rearward position and is provided with downwardly bowed spring portions 23 adjacent to and rearwardly of the clamp members, said bowed portions being adapted, when the bar 2! is moved forwardly, to yieldably engage the outwardly extending portions I8 of the clamping members it and draw said members downwardly to bring the flanges Il into clamping relation with the plates 15 for clamping a card 24 or the like to the top by gripping the side edges of said card. To provide easy operation of the bar 2| a lever 25 is pivotally mounted beneath the top ill on a screw 26, said screw being received in an opening in the lever adjacent the inner end thereof and is screwed into the top. The bar 21 is pivotally secured to the lever intermediately of its ends and the outer end of said lever extends outwardly of the top through a slot 2'! in the side I2. At the rear of the top another opening is provided over 0 which a laterally slotted metal plate 28 is secured to the top, said plate being set flush with the upper surface of the top. A vertically slidable clamping member 29, having an inturned flange 30 at its upper end is provided in the slot of the plate 28. 5

The lower end of the clamp member 29 extends below the lower surface of the top and has an outwardly and upwardly extending spring portion 3| the end of which is secured to the top by a screw 32. An auxiliary spring 33, secured at its lower end to the rear support I4 by a screw 34, is inturned to yieldingly hold said clamp member 29 in a raised position wherein the flange 30 thereof is spaced above the surface of the plate 28. The clamp member 29 is adapted to be drawn downwardly from itslnormal position to bring the flange 30 into clamping relation with plate 28 to clamp or grip the rear edge of card 24, said clamp being operated by a wire 35 or the like, the forward end of which is secured to bar 3| adjacent the lever 25 and the rear end is secured to a triangular plate or bell-crank 36 adjacent one corner thereof, said plate 36 being pivoted to a bracket 31 secured to the under side of the top. The third corner of the plate 36 is provided with a pin 38 adapted to engage the clamp member 29 at the junction of the lower end thereof and the outwardly and upwardly extending spring portion 3|. All the clamp members are adapted to be operated together to simultaneously clamp or grip a card or the like and to simultaneously release same.

The stencil or screen used for process sign painting may be detachably secured to the top by a hinge or the like as shown in my application January 28, 1935, Serial No. 3,872, for Sign process tables filed simultaneously with this application. The stencil is adapted to be brought into position on the upper surface of the top to register with cards clamped to said top. A card is placed in the position shown in Figure 1 with the rear edge abutting against the rear clamping member and the right hand edge abutting against the side clamping members I6. The lever 25 is then pulled forwardly to operate the clamping members and to bring the flanges thereof into clamping engagement with the card which is held securely on the top U in register with the stencil or screen. A rearward movement of the lever operates to release the clamps so the card may be removed from the top and a new one put on. With my process platform the entire process may be carried on very rapidly for cards may be clamped to the top, the stencil lowered, the cardv painted, the stencil raised and the card removed, all at a high rate of speed.

In painting signs there is a wide variation in the sizes thereof and in order to handle various sized sign cards the clamps of the top are arranged to clamp said cards on two adjacent edges only, as rear and side.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A sign process platform comprising a top having a plurality of aligned openings, a clamp member operatively received in each opening, each of said clamp members being provided with a flange on one end and adapted to engage the edge of a card and clamp same against the upper surface of the top, a spring for each clamp member adapted to maintain same in an open position, and a slidable bar having a spring-like portion for each clamp member and of greater tension than the springs for the said clamp members, said spring-like portions of the bar being adapted to yieldingly move same into clamping position upon operation of said bar.

2. A sign process platform comprising a top, having a plurality of openings in right angle alignment, a clamp member operatively received in each opening, each of said clamp members being provided with a flange on one end and adapted to engage the edge of a card and clamp same against the upper surface of the top, a spring for each clamp member adapted to maintain same in an open position, and a slidable bar having a spring-like portion for each clamp member and of greater tension than the springs for the said clamp members, said spring-like portions of the bar being adapted to operatively engage the respective clamps and yieldingly move same into clamping position upon operation of said bar.

3. A sign process platform, comprising a top having a plurality of aligned vertical openings therein, a clamp for each opening, each clamp comprising a vertically slidable clamp member operatively received in its respective opening, a flange adjacent the upper end of the clamp member adapted to clamp a card against the upper surface of the top, a laterally extending portion adjacent the lower end of the clamp member and terminating in a spring portion adapted to yieldably maintain the flange in upwardly spaced relation to the upper surface of the top, and a bar mounted to the under side of the top and adapted for longitudinal movement above the laterally extending portion of the clamp members, said bar being provided with a bowed spring portion for each clamp member, said bowed spring portions being of greater tension than the spring portions of the clamp members and adapted upon operation of the bar toengage said laterally extending portions of the clamp members to move the clamps downwardly and bring the flanges thereof into clamping relation with the upper surface of the top.

4. A sign process platform comprising a top, a plurality of aligned clamps operatively associated with the top, said clamp being adapted to be moved toward and away from the upper surface of the top, means for yieldingly maintaining the clamps in a position spaced away from the upper surface of the top to receive acard therein, a slidable bar operatively associated with the clamps, said bar having a bowed spring portion for each clamp, said bowed portions having a greater tension than the yielding means for maintaining the clamps in a position spaced away from the upper surface of the top, said spring portions beoperatively engage the respective clamps and ing adapted for engagement with the respective clamps upon slidable operation of the bar to move said clamps toward the upper surface of the top to clamp cards thereto, a secondary clamp operatively associated with the top and adapted to be moved toward and away from the upper surface of the top for aligning and clamping a second side of a card to the top, means for yieldingly maintaining said secondary clamp in a position spaced from the upper surface of the top, and means associated with the bar for operating said secondary clamp to move same toward the upper surface of the top simultaneously with the movement of the first mentioned clamp.

JESSE N. HALSTED. 

